Apple, Samsung, HTC feel heat of high-end smartphone slump

Growth in demand for high-end smartphones is waning , a point confirmed on Friday by reports from Samsung Electronics and HTC Corp. — and one that could be driven home by results from Apple Inc.
/quotes/zigman/68270/quotes/nls/aaplAAPL later this month.

Both Samsung and HTC reported results on Friday during the Asian trading session. Samsung’s shares slid 3.8% after it projected lower-than-expected operating profits for the June quarter, with analysts pegging slower shipments of the flagship Galaxy S4 as part of the reason for the shortfall. For its part, HTC reported a sharp decline in profits despite the introduction of the well-reviewed HTC One smartphone that was expected to help reverse the company’s fortunes in the Android market.

If the Galaxy S4 and HTC One both saw disappointing sales in their launch quarter, that could paint a bleaker picture for the iPhone 5, which went on sale in late September. Apple reports its own results for the June quarter on July 23, and if last year’s performance holds any indications, the period may reflect a big slowdown in iPhone sales as customers decide to wait and see what the company has in store for its next lineup of products this fall.

Apple shares were down 1% by Friday afternoon — the first decline in what has been an otherwise strong week for the stock. The shares had risen more than 5% in the trading sessions before the holiday on some positive commentary by analysts that perhaps most of the negative momentum had finally washed out of the stock, which remains more than 40% below its peak above the $70 0 mark when the iPhone 5 went on sale.

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